Vennland
Vennland, also known as Relic in Lyradis, borders Jarrland and was the first province colonised when the Jarrs began expanding their territory. Geography Most of the northwest is mountainous, with the peaks of the Discord mountains continuing all the way along the border, and foothills cover most of the rest of the province. Towards the coast some of the terrain levels out, and the large Venn peninsula is largely flat save for a few hills along the northern edge. There are relatively few trees, with most of the terrain on the peninsula and to the south being marsh or wetland. The most distinguishing feature of the province is the Venn peninsula, which is bordered to the south by the large Lake Vestrin. On the northern edge of the peninsula is the Kell Bay, a huge natural harbour which eventually turns into smaller fjords. Both the lake and the bay are relatively tranquil compared to the open sea, although their size still makes them challenging for unwary sailors. In the drier northeast of the province, unusual rock formations known as the Fey Spires have developed, curiously shaped pillars of rock surmounted by a round cap, many of them dozens of feet high. People The majority of the population lives in the eastern part of the region, on the coasts of the lake or the bay, or on the peninsula itself. Like most southerners, they had not really considered themselves a singular people until outside pressure from the Salterri obliged them to do so, and even then, local community was far more important than any sense of nationhood. It is not clear how the name Vennland came to be attached to the region, and whether the people were named Venns after the peninsula, or whether the peninsula was named after the people. Most of the people are human, or at least mostly human, slightly shorter, stockier and fairer than is common for the region. The Jarrs believe that the Venns share their ancestry and therefore their elven heritage, although while it might be possible to detect something elfin in the sharp-featured Vennlanders it is difficult to draw any serious conclusions either way. Increased contact between the two people has led to this theory being widely accepted in Vennland too, and Jarrs and Venns now tend to see themselves as two branches of the same people. Still, there is a degree of regional pride among both peoples, and mistaking one for the other could result in offence, or at least the appearance of it. The Jarrs who now control the province grouped the Venns along the lines of their own clan system, integrating the four Venn “great clans” and the minor clans – each representing their own community – into the Jarrland government and way of thinking. Government Vennland fell under the sway of the Salterri at some point before the mid-fourth century, probably around a similar time to Jarrland. In the latter part of the fourth century the province had been governed by a famously lazy and corrupt Venno-Salterri named Arrick Jatten, a nobleman of good family. After his death in 385 rule passed to his young daughter Talli, who struggled to impose any measure of control on the communities more distant from her centre of government on the peninsula. With permission from Qzare Xiu Wandao, King Alfwyr of neighbouring Jarrland began settling the region in the 390s, a process continued under his nephew Athelmere. Radber Sunder, another nephew of Alfwyr's, was put in charge of the colonisation and worked closely with Talli to re-establish central authority over the whole region. In 406 Radber married Talli and together they swore allegiance to King Athelmere and his crown, in return for the title of Duke of Vennland. Radber and Talli ruled in Vennland as prefects of the Imperium, reporting directly to the King of the Jarrs (now calling himself King of the Jarrs and the Venns). This relationship was formalised with the creation of the Kingdom of the Carmine Sea in 430, which reorganised the administration of all the Jarrow holdings. The sudden death of Radber and Talli's heir Siggi in 436 and the Duke's own death soon afterwards has led to a contested regency in the region between Talli and Siggi's wife Valéria until the titular Duke, Siggi's son, comes of age. The king has taken no official position on the matter, and seems to be enjoying the spectacle, so long as it does not have a negative effect on government. Settlements The largest town in the province is Jatham, on the Venn peninsula, and this is the effective capital where the Dukes hold their court. The other town of a significant size is Anacton, which is not particularly large by population, but the Anacta inhabitants require sizeable buildings, and the roads and alleys are correspondingly larger, giving it the feel of a bigger town. Resources and Trade The extensive wetlands around Lake Vestrin are perfect for growing papyrus and other reeds. The plentiful oyster beds also allow the dukedom to export oysters. The lack of afforestation however means that the region is obliged to import wood. The flat land of the peninsula has proven to be good land for rearing horses, imported from Requiem or Palas Caercia. Religion The vast majority of the population is pagan. Priests of the Hailings of the Silver Sea once made an effort to convert the Venns to the Salterri faith but largely gave up, while the cult of Ascension has not made serious inroads, and foreign religions have historically been excluded by the Salterri. The people have a similarly casual attitude towards religion as their Jarr neighbours: that is, they tend towards superstition rather than true faith. In the late fifth and early sixth century a more concerted effort was made to introduce the new Imperial religion of Panshén to the region, and a majority of the population now follow it. Category:Regions Category:Regions in the Salterri Imperium Category:Regions of Telluris